Browsing by Author "Kodua-Agyekum, Collins."

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Analysis of the rural development experience in the former Transkei : the case of Xalanga District.
(1997) Kodua-Agyekum, Collins.; Willis, Geoffrey A.; Oelofse, Catherine.; Brooks, Shirley.
The period after World War II has witnessed an upsurge in the interest in the plight of the people entrapped in desperate poverty and deprivation in the Third World countries. However, even with the focus on underdeveloped countries, the number of rural poor in the Third World continues to increase and their living conditions degrade. The crux of the problem is that the rural poor cannot contribute significantly to their own development owing to the nherent inequalities in the distribution of production factors and the benefits economic development and technological advancements under the umbrella of capitalism. In response t.o this, rural development is a deliberate intervention programme designed to augment the coping strategies of the rural poor by drawing them gradually into the mainstream of development action in an attempt to alleviate rural poverty and misery, and empower them to realise their potential and human dignity. This thesis is a critical evaluation of the rural development process and its impact on the living conditions of the rural poor in the former Transkei with special reference to Xalanga District. Transkei and Xalanga District have been chosen for the study because the former is the poorest and most populous ex-homeland and the latter is the poorest district in the former Transkei. The roles of rural development functionaries, in terms of their policies, programmes, practices and achievements, and the living conditions, needs, aspirations and perceptions of the beneficiaries came under the spotlight. Rural development is a multi-faceted concept therefore the approach of the study was eclectic, rooted in the realist and structurationist philosophies; and the data solicited was analysed both quantitatively and qualitatively. The quantitative techniques employed were factor and discriminant analyses The study revealed that the rural development process in the sub-region is fraught with administrative, political and social, fmancial and technical constraints. Consequently, the process has not had any significant impact on the living conditions of the rural poor with regard to the alleviation of rural poverty, unemployment and inequalities in the distribution of incomes and assets. Besides, it has not created sound economic bases in the rural areas and has thus failed to empower the rural people to take effective charge of their lives. The development efforts continue to be concentrated in the urban and peri-urban areas, causing considerable imbalances in the spatial development of the territory. On the basis of the outcome of the research, some suggestions have been offered for a meaningful rural development programme for the former Transkei.
The transfer of technology to the rural poor : the case of Qamata irrigation scheme in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa.
(2009) Kodua-Agyekum, Collins.; Lawrence, Ralph Bruce.
Poverty, unemployment, inequality and food insecurity are common facts of life in rural communities in the former homelands of the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa despite decades of massive infusion of irrigation technology and resources into the rural economies. These problems are mostly the corollary of public policies enacted and executed over the years under colonial and apartheid regimes. Even the establishment of developmental local government and the introduction of various forms of integrated and sustainable rural development policies and programmes under the current democratic political dispensation, which began in 1994, have not brought much relief to the rural areas. Development policies and programmes have not been successful at increasing the coping strategies of the majority of the rural poor as they continue to remain outside the mainstream of development action. The persistence of socio-economic problems elicits questions regarding the appropriateness of development policies with respect to the transfer of irrigation technology to the rural poor. This study critically investigates the social and economic effects of Qamata Irrigation Scheme (QIS) on the living conditions and coping strategies of the farmers at Qamata. The outcome of the investigation is used as the context to analyse the effectiveness and appropriateness of the irrigation development and management policies in the transfer of irrigation technology to the farmers. The choice of QIS was occasioned by its position as the first state financed large-scale irrigation scheme in the late 1960s in the former Transkei which was the poorest and most populous Bantustan; Qamata was one of the poorest rural communities in the territory. Besides, QIS is one of the largest irrigation schemes in the Eastern Cape which has attracted a considerable amount of resources and public attention. It was therefore thought that the study of QIS could generate the relevant data required to evaluate the appropriateness of irrigation schemes in rural development in the province. The roles and expectations of development functionaries with reference to development policies, programmes, practices and achievements, and the living conditions, needs, aspirations and perceptions of beneficiaries were critically examined. Because rural development is a multi-faceted concept, the approach of the study was eclectic. The data which ensued was analyzed both qualitatively and quantitatively with chi-square test and independent samples t-test to arrive at forthright and compelling conclusions. The study revealed that rural development at Qamata is fraught with political, institutional and organizational problems. As a result, the Qamata Irrigation Scheme could not bring about the expected socio-economic development in the surrounding rural communities. Suggestions are offered on the basis of the research findings for meaningful rural development. The participation of local communities, especially women who bear the brunt of rural poverty and food crop production, in development policy formulation and the participation of the youth in irrigation farming are seen as essential prerequisites for goal oriented rural and agricultural development intervention programmes.